Plonker at Cadwell
Discussion
From what I can make out it appears he didn't apply the brakes until he was about to hit the Lotus, which suggests the brake failure story is horse manure.
The steering made me wince. I guess we have to acknowledge that anyone with a driving licence can go on a track day but to drive like that is just utter stupidity or wanton disregard for anyone else's safety and/or their motors. Either way, I do think in this sort of circumstance there ought to be a way of recovering costs from the complete pillock who caused the situation.
Certainly if I had been the "plonker" in this video I would have felt pretty uncomfortable if I had not agreed to pay for some if not all of the costs for the Lotus repair.
The steering made me wince. I guess we have to acknowledge that anyone with a driving licence can go on a track day but to drive like that is just utter stupidity or wanton disregard for anyone else's safety and/or their motors. Either way, I do think in this sort of circumstance there ought to be a way of recovering costs from the complete pillock who caused the situation.
Certainly if I had been the "plonker" in this video I would have felt pretty uncomfortable if I had not agreed to pay for some if not all of the costs for the Lotus repair.
Jesus christ no, recovering costs and all that goes with it would kill trackdays stone dead. Insurance would be mandatory to cover the risks and the costs would become enormous. I sure as hell can't afford to be insuring for potential 3rd party damage to expensive cars.
We all know the score when we get out there, if your car gets damaged it's on you.
We all know the score when we get out there, if your car gets damaged it's on you.
I drive a cheap car on track just in case, and I understand and accept the "gentlemen's agreement" on damage. But I take that risk on the basis that we all follow the rules. In this case the guy appears to be trying to overtake in the braking zone and on a bend. Perhaps the "gentlemen's agreement" should include a "good kicking" clause... 
rallycross said:
Moronic driving like that is not acceptable on track days the TDO should be ready to remove any driver spotted with such limited ability - for the safety of other drivers and the idiot behind the wheel.
It is difficult to cover every eventuality, and as a general rule, the TDO in question, does not tolerate any 'misbehaviour' whatsoever! When you are the largest of all TDO's, running around two hundred days a year, then the odds dictate that there will always be someone that is going to be a problem, especially when 90% of their days being completely full!!! To run that number of days, with that number of people on the day, they are obviously doing something right!!! I know for a fact, that a friend of mine was removed from the track after a couple of laps, earlier this week, by the same TDO!!!
That is something I have never seen from any other TDO, which does very often make him unpopular ...... but only for the right reasons!!!
charltjr said:
Jesus christ no, recovering costs and all that goes with it would kill trackdays stone dead. Insurance would be mandatory to cover the risks and the costs would become enormous. I sure as hell can't afford to be insuring for potential 3rd party damage to expensive cars.
We all know the score when we get out there, if your car gets damaged it's on you.
I know what you mean and I realise it was a controversial statement. I do generally accept the risks involved but if someone blatantly breaks the rules (as appears to be the case here) and causes an accident then it seems fair that they should cover the costs. I appreciate there's no easy solution though and perhaps it should be that instead of mandator insurance etc there should be a shared "blacklist" for troublesome drivers. They could get themselves off the list by spending their own money on training and then passing an assessment.... We all know the score when we get out there, if your car gets damaged it's on you.
ginettajoe said:
It is difficult to cover every eventuality, and as a general rule, the TDO in question, does not tolerate any 'misbehaviour' whatsoever! When you are the largest of all TDO's, running around two hundred days a year, then the odds dictate that there will always be someone that is going to be a problem, especially when 90% of their days being completely full!!!
To run that number of days, with that number of people on the day, they are obviously doing something right!!! I know for a fact, that a friend of mine was removed from the track after a couple of laps, earlier this week, by the same TDO!!!
That is something I have never seen from any other TDO, which does very often make him unpopular ...... but only for the right reasons!!!
Or rather that doing something right , there just the cheapest?To run that number of days, with that number of people on the day, they are obviously doing something right!!! I know for a fact, that a friend of mine was removed from the track after a couple of laps, earlier this week, by the same TDO!!!
That is something I have never seen from any other TDO, which does very often make him unpopular ...... but only for the right reasons!!!
CraigyB said:
Just interested how the video got out. If it were me it would never see the light of day...
His mate put the videos up on YouTube but didn't expect them to gain any attention! I found the name of the poster on YT and posted on a FB thread belonging to a friend that is a TDO satin that I don't want to go on any days with him on it (tongue in cheek). Amazingly this chap piped up on the FB thread (!!!) to say that it wasn't him driving, it was his mate. I was staggered that he thought that the video was fine and that he couldn't understand the attention it got. Scary. DocSteve said:
charltjr said:
Jesus christ no, recovering costs and all that goes with it would kill trackdays stone dead. Insurance would be mandatory to cover the risks and the costs would become enormous. I sure as hell can't afford to be insuring for potential 3rd party damage to expensive cars.
We all know the score when we get out there, if your car gets damaged it's on you.
I know what you mean and I realise it was a controversial statement. I do generally accept the risks involved but if someone blatantly breaks the rules (as appears to be the case here) and causes an accident then it seems fair that they should cover the costs. I appreciate there's no easy solution though and perhaps it should be that instead of mandator insurance etc there should be a shared "blacklist" for troublesome drivers. They could get themselves off the list by spending their own money on training and then passing an assessment.... We all know the score when we get out there, if your car gets damaged it's on you.
WRT to the video yes his control of the steering wheel is shocking, would massively limit his ability to control/correct the car, but for all that he seems to be cornering pretty well, the car doesn't appear to be out of control and then for some reason he carries way, way too much speed into a corner and catches the Lotus.
I honestly can't tell from the video if it's simple driver error, mechanical failure or aggression. I just feel really sorry for the Lotus driver
Trackdays are trackdays. It shouldn't matter if he was driving a new Lotus or a Rolls Royce. He took it on track knowing the risks, knowing he had signed a disclaimer and knowing accidents can happen. The driving was shocking, but we all go on track knowing the outcome of car to car collisions. They should never happen, but when they do..... get over it, you knew it could happen. We should never resort to claiming from another driver, despite his incompetence. Deliberate collision would be a different matter, that would come under criminal law. But accidents like this are only a shocking result of incompetence.
I realise i'm in the minority and it's not a popular suggestion, but I really don't think that track day licences are such a bad idea.
Yes, it costs money and it's a hassle to administrate, but it would give a central database of infringements and would ensure a minimum level of competence.
Jonny
BaT
Yes, it costs money and it's a hassle to administrate, but it would give a central database of infringements and would ensure a minimum level of competence.
Jonny
BaT
jonnyleroux said:
I realise i'm in the minority and it's not a popular suggestion, but I really don't think that track day licences are such a bad idea.
Yes, it costs money and it's a hassle to administrate, but it would give a central database of infringements and would ensure a minimum level of competence.
Jonny
BaT
I like that. Yes, it costs money and it's a hassle to administrate, but it would give a central database of infringements and would ensure a minimum level of competence.
Jonny
BaT
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